Slicing machine



April 10 1934- w. H. FRYER 1,954,043

SLICING MACHINE Filed Nov. 18. 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 i lll/111111111 43 INVEN-roR BY ATTORNEY l/ April 10, 1934. w, H, FRYER 1,954,043

SLICING MACHINE Filed Nov. 18, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Apr. l0, 1934 uru'rrb STATES PATENT? OFFICE SLICING MACHINE Application November 18, 1930, Serial No. 496,376

5 Claims. (Cl. 1116-102) This case relates to a provision slicer and particularly to its feeding mechanism.

The object of the invention is to provide improved automatic means forfeeding an article transversely to a slicing knife preparatory to the slicing operation.

Further, the object is to providesuch feeding means in the form of a novel spring drive.

Still further, the object is to mount such feeding means on a traversing carriage with the feeding means movable transversely tothe movement of the carriage.

Another object is to provide an improved clamp for holding the article on the carriage.

Various other objects and advantages of my invention will be obvious from the following particular description of one form of mechanism embodying the invention or' froman inspection of the accompanying drawings; and the invention also constitutes certain new'and novel features of construction and combination of parts here-` inafter set forth and claimed.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view of the feeding side of the slicer.

Fig'. 2 is a front view of the carriage and feeding means `with parts removed to uncover the spring driving means;

l Fig. 3 is aside view of the carriage and article feeding means partially in section.

Fig. 4 is a detail of the means for holding the feeding means ineffective, and

Fig. 5 isa section-on line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

In general the invention is shown as applied to a slicing machine in which a disk knife is rotated by a motor and a carriage holding the article is slidably reciprocated by hand to and from the knife.

Referring to Fig. l, thebase 10 of the machine supports guide rails 11 and 12 on which is slidably mounted the carriage 13. The latter has a handle 14 for moving it to and from the knife 15 which is covered by a plate 16. At the left of the knife, as shown in Fig. 1, a gage plate 17 is provided adjustable by means (not shown) for determining the thickness of slice cut by the knife. of the knife is guarded by plates 18 and 19. The upper edge of the knife is guarded by a member 20.

Mounted on carriage 13 is a clamp device 22 which is movable towards the gage plate for forcing the article against the plate as the carriage moves to the knife. As the article is traversing the knife edge, the advancing portion In addition to cover plate 16, the rearV thereof engages the covei` plate 16 and the guard plates 18 and 19. These plates are substantially parallel to the gage plate and prevent movement of the advanced portion of the article transversely to the knife edge, thus enabling a uniformly thick slice to be cut by the knife.

Referring to Figs. 2 to 5, the details of the clamp device 22 and the novel means for feeding the device will be explained.

Attached to the rear of the carriage frame and extending at right angles to the gage plate is a rail 24 for slidably supporting the clamp device for movement to and from the gage plate. The rail has upper and lower grooved edges cooperating with ball races 25 attached by screw means 26 to the back of the clamp frame 27. Balls 28 ride between the grooved edges of the rail 24 and the confronting grooved edges of the ball races 25, thus providing an anti-friction bearing for the clamp device on the rail.

To a front projecting ledge 28 of the clamp frame is attached for movement with' the frame an article supporting right angular spiked plate 29. Below the plate 29, the carriage supports a tray 30, the outer edge of which is bent to form an apron 31 extending over the adjacent carriage frame.

The clamp frame 27 has the upper portion thereof formed as a hollow post 32 Within which is slidably guided the clamp bar 33 carrying at its lower end the clamp plate 34 for cooperating with the plate 29. A knob 35 at the upper end of the bar 33 and a thumb lift bracket 36 adjacent the lower end of the bar'are provided to lift the bar against the force of gravity. As shown in Fig. 2, the bar has ratchet teeth 37 on one side for engagement with a pawl 38 slidably mounted in the post 32 and normally forced towards the teeth 37 by a coil spring 39. A knob 4.0 on the end of the pawl may be used to disengage the pawl from the ratchet teeth. The ratchet teeth are inclined in a direction to freely permit downward movement of the bar but prevent undesirable upward movement of the bar after the clamp plate thereon has been moved down on the article.

For moving the clamp device towards the gage plate the following means are provided:

Attached to the side of the clamp frame 27 opposite the side carrying the ball races 25 is a spring drum assembly 42. The drum comprises a cup-shaped pulley 43, the side of the pulley being set within a recess 44 formed in the frame 27. The drum assembly 42 is guarded, concealed and rendered inaccessible from the right hand side (as viewed in Fig. 3) primarily by the lower portion of frame 27 and secondarily by the guide rail 24. The left hand side of the drum assembly is guarded, concealed, and rendered inaccessible primarily by the removable tray 30 and secondarily by the supplementary underlying support 29. In above fashion, the drum assembly is guarded against unwarranted tampering and removal and protected against intrusion of the grease and food particles which may be thrown off by the knife or which may remain on the carriage and otherwise be swept into the spring drum.

The pulley at its center embraces and is fixed to a hub through which a stud 46 freely passes. One end of the stud is reduced to form a journal pin 47 rotatably mounted in the clamp frame 27. At this end, the head of the pin or stud 47 is enlarged to engage the frame 27 and prevent endwise movement of the stud. To the other end of the stud, a plate 48 is attached by a screw 49.

The plate 48 serves to retain the hub 45 onto the stud and further to hold a spring 50 of the clock type within the interior of the pulley 43. The spring 50 encircles the hub 45 and has its inner end anchored to a pin 51 on the hub (see Fig. 2). The outer end of the spring is anchored to a stud 52 carried by a bracket 53 attached by the screws 54 to the clamp frame 27 (see Fig. 5).

Anchored to the rim of the pulley 43 by pins 55 is one end of a flat tape 56. The other end of the tape may be called the free end and is anchored by pin 57 to the end of the carriage frame adjacent the gage plate.

The tendency of clock spring 50 is to uncoil and thereby rotate the pulley 43 clockwise as viewed in Fig. 2. Rotation of the pulley clockwise winds up the tape 56 on its rim. Since the free end of the tape is fixed to the carriage frame, the pulley in order to wind up the tape must move towards said free end. Accordingly when the clamp frame 27 carrying the pulley is released, the pulley moves towards the free end of the tape 56 winding up the tape during such movement as it rotates clockwise under the force of spring 50. The spring is of a size such that the tape 56 will be held taut thereby for the full stroke of the clamp frame 27. The clamp frame is thus constantly urged by the spring drum assembly 42 in a direction towards the gage plate and also towards the knife and the guard plates 16, 18, and 19, thus feeding an article clamped between the plates 29 and 34 mounted on the clamp frame in the same direction.

To move the clamp frame away from the gage plate, it is grasped by hand and moved against the resistance of the spring 50 which is thereby rewound. In order to hold the clamp device stationary when fully retracted so that an article may be placed on or removed from the carriage without interference by the clamp device, the frame 27 of the latter carries a latching device. This device comprises trigger 60 pivoted intermediately by a pin 61 to a plate 62 attached to the back of the clamp frame 27 by the same screw means 26 which attaches the left hand end of the ball races 25 to the clamp frame. The plate 62 and trigger 60 extend vertically exterior to the ball races 25 and the track 24. The forward end of the trigger is transversely bent to engage in a slot 63 cut in the track 24 adjacent its outer end. A coil spring 64 between the plate 62 and the trigger urges the forward end of the trigger towards the slot.

Thus when the clamp device is retracted, as soon as the trigger end reaches slot 63, it moves into the slot under the influence of spring 64 holding the clamp device stationary against the pull of the spring drum feeding means.

While there has been shown and described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention as applied t0 a single modification, it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the device illustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is the intenion therefore to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the following claims:

What is claimed is,

1. In a slicing machine, a gage plate, a rotatable knife at the side of the gage plate, a carriage for reciprocating across the gage plate and knife, a clamp, a carrier therefor mounted on the carriage, a removable article engaging tray on the carriage, a power spring carried by the carrier and substantially housed and concealed between a side of the carrier and the adjacent side of the tray and open to access upon removal of said tray, and a connection between the power spring and the carriage for moving the carrier and clamp towards the plane of the gage plate.

2. In a slicing machine, a rotary knife, a carriage forV supporting an article, an article engaging device mounted on said carriage for moving the article towards the plane of the knife, a spring drum assembly for moving the article engaging device towards the plane of the knife, said spring drum assembly comprising a pulley rotatably carried on and substantially concealed by and housed by a portion of the article engaging device, a tape connected at one end to said pulley and flxed at its other end to the carriage, and a spring of the clock type connected to the pulley and to the article engaging device for causing said pulley to move towards the end fixed to the carriage to wind up the tape on its periphery and advance the article engaging device towards the plane of the knife.

3. In a slicing machine, a gage plate, a knife at the side of the gage plate, an angular article supporting carriage, an article engaging member, a support therefor, a guide for said support provided on the carriage exterior to one side thereof and spaced from said side, said guide extending substantially at right angles to said gage plate, a spring drum assembly located between said guide and the adjacent side of the carriage for urging the support and article engaging member towards the gage plate, and the support for the article engaging member and the guide therefor extending along one side of the drum assembly and rendering the latter inaccessible at said side, and a removable plate provided on the carriage to cover and normally render inaccessible the other side of the drum assembly and removable to expose the drum assembly and provide access thereto.

4. In a slicing machine, a gage plate, a knife, a carriage for holding an article to be sliced by the knife, an article feeder mounted on the carriage to move towards the plate and the knife plane, a spring drum assembly journaled in a side of the feeder and inaccessible from said side of the feeder, an underlying removable article holding tray associated with the article feeder and having a side extending in the same direction as aforesaid side of the feeder and normally covering and rendering inaccessible the drum assembly until the tray is removed.

5. In a slicing machine, a gage plate, a knife, a carriage for holding an article to be sliced by the knife, an article feeding clamp, a non-horizontally disposed track on the carriage, a support for the clamp mounted on the track to move towards the knife plane and the gage plate and having a portion extending non-horizontally substantially parallel to and adjacent an inner side of said track, a spring drum assembly disposed substantially parallel to the track and said portion of the clamp support and journaled on an inner side of said portion and rendered inaccessible at one side by said track and said portion, a tape connection between the assembly and the carriage for moving the clamp support towards the knife plane and gage plate, a removable angular article supporting tray for cooperating with the clamp to hold an article on the carriage, said tray having a. side for supporting an article and another side angular thereto extending non-horizontally adjacent the inner side of the portion and normally covering and rendering the other side of the drum assembly inaccessible, the tray being removable to expose and render the assembly accessible.

WILLIAM HARPER FRYER. 

